Finally approaching the docks of Lake Opeongo
Cormorant Island, Lake Opeongo
Interesting Island before the narrows to the South Arm
The grassy knoll
At 12:25pm we landed at the Opeongo access point dock and started to unload. I was happy with our time – it took two hours and fifty minutes to get from Hailstorm Bay to the dock – not bad, but we were very lucky with the lack of wind and waves. I suspect this trip could easily have taken 4+ hours in foul weather – if possible at all. Angela went up the giant hill to the upper parking lot to retrieve the car while I unloaded the gear onto the grass. We took advantage of a small driveway used to access a maintenance shed to quickly load the car away from the crowded dock. By 1pm we were headed down the road back to highway 60 and of course, to Wendy’s in Huntsville for some grub.
All in all, I don’t advocate camping on access point lakes because they’re usually noisy and messy (sad, but true) but my experience on Opeongo this weekend gave me hope that not all access lakes are the same, and even the ones with motorboats have quiet places to explore. If you’ve always wanted to explore Hailstorm Creek, I strongly recommend you work it into your next trip – you won’t regret it. There is nowhere else in Algonquin that looks quite like this.
Day 3: Hailstorm Bay to Opeongo Parking Lot
We slept in a bit today, which I blame on the vodka but that’s neither here nor there. Awake at 8am and didn’t waste any time getting packed up. There was no wind and the lake was once again oddly calm. As per our usual routine, Angela packed up the interior of the tent while I took care of the campsite – tarp, cleaning, tent fly, etc. We managed to compete the tare-down in pretty good time! Our breakfast today would be very simple – coffee and oatmeal. I put a kettle of water on the stove for breakfast and continued packing my bags while it boiled. We were lucky enough to bring in fresh water (we had to as I didn’t have my water filter on this trip) and it was a real gas-saver because we didn’t have to boil it for 5 mins. We both munched our oatmeal and rinsed our cups for a second shot at some coffee. It was now 9am and there was still no wind, so we eased off the rushing and took ten minutes to enjoy our coffees. We sat down by the water and took in one final view for the road.
Looking out across the South Arm
Ready to keep going down Lake Opeongo
A water taxi zooms by - that may be the faster way, but we took the more scenic way
Looking up at the North-East Shore of the North Arm
A water taxi coming back from the Proulx Lake Portage
Still dead calm on the North Arm of Lake Opeongo
Looking back up at the narrows from the South Arm
Pretty decent campsite at Windy Point
Saying good-bye to our campsite - but not before going back to retrieve my coffee cup!
Passing through the Narrows that separate the North and South Arms
Hailstorm Bay to Opeongo Docks
Looking back at Hailstorm Bay
By 9:30am we had the canoe packed and we shoved off the site. I turned around to take a photo of our little slice of paradise when I noticed something on the rocks – my coffee cup! Doh! I put the canoe into reverse and grabbed my cup – I wanted to enjoy the rest of my coffee during the morning paddle down the great Opeongo! After pulling away for the second time, I told Angela we are considerably lucky to have no wind or waves and if this keeps up, we should be back at the dock in 2.5 hours. After just 50 minutes of paddling we arrived at the western narrows and we were delighted to see the south arm was just as calm as the north. We made our way past the cluster of pine-covered islands, this time taking the opposite route around for a different view. It was remarkably quite on Opeongo and only one motorboat – a water taxi, had passed by.
Parked at Windy Point for a quick break
Ready to tackle the North Arm of Lake Opeongo
Another dead calm morning on Lake Opeongo
TOURduPARK
By 11:10am we arrived at Windy Point and decided to take quick break at the campsite. It’s actually a really nice campsite that offers excellent swimming and decent shade – the downside would be the motorboats flying by, but it’s still a nice campsite for an access point lake. We hung around for about 15 minutes before moving on. From here to the car was just over 6km away and I figured we could cover it in an hour or so. Our luck was maintained during the journey down the south arm and the only waves we encountered was the tiny wake of a taxi passing by. This was a really great day to paddle Opeongo – I’ve taken the taxi a few times and it’s good for getting where you need to be quickly, but the view from a canoe is much better. You have the time to closely look at the shoreline as you pass, you can hear things in the forest – it’s amazing.
Small, pine-covered islands dot the narrows